A high-stakes competition seeks breakthrough sensors to detect defects during laser powder bed fusion printing.
The race to perfect metal 3D printing just hit overdrive. ASTRO America, a U.S. manufacturing nonprofit, has teamed up with ASTM International and Florida State University to launch the Actionable In-Situ Awareness Challenge a $1M hunt for sensors that can monitor laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) printing in real time.
“Today’s ‘print and pray’ approach won’t cut it for critical aerospace or defense parts,” says an ASTRO spokesperson. The challenge calls for commercially ready systems that can track melt pools, porosity, and other defects as they happen. Up to five finalists will test their tech this summer at Maritech Machine in Florida, with winners gaining access to defense contractors and investors.
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Submissions are due by May 9, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. With LPBF poised to revolutionize everything from jet engines to submarines, solving the “blind spot” in printing could unlock a new era of reliability.
